CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Reds today announced the dates, times and locations for their annual Winter Caravan. All stops are free and open to the public.

The winter caravan will make its first public stop on Thursday, January 26 at Pinheads in northeast Indianapolis, followed the next day by stops at the Lima Mall in Lima and Flannaganís Dublin on the outskirts of Columbus. The caravan will make its first visit to Indianapolis since 2001.

On Saturday, January 28, the caravan will visit Frickerís in the Dayton suburb of West Carrollton and the Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville. The road trip will conclude on Sunday, January 29 with visits to the Ashland Town Center in Ashland, KY and Champion Sports Lexington in Nicholasville.

The very popular Winter Caravan provides fans with the opportunity to interact with Reds manager Jerry Narron, players, broadcasters and other members of the front office staff. At each stop, the group will field questions from fans, sign autographs and pose for photographs. Sales representatives will be on hand to discuss season tickets and group sales, and the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum also will display a traveling exhibit.

Scheduled to appear at all seven Winter Caravan stops are Narron, general manager Dan OíBrien, Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman and Reds Radio partner Steve Stewart along with representatives of the new ownership group. Senior special assistant Gene Bennett will join the group in Ashland.

Newly-acquired pitcher Dave Williams will be accompanied on the Thursday and Friday stops by the organizationís Minor League Player of the Year, which will be announced at the LaSalle High School Stag on Wednesday, January 25. Pitcher Kent Mercker once again will attend the popular stop at Flannaganís Dublin.

Pitcher Todd Coffey and Tom Browning, the newest member of the Reds Hall of Fame, will be in Dayton, Louisville, Ashland and Lexington.

Outfielder Austin Kearns will visit the Champion Sports Lexington event. More caravan participants will be announced next week.

From the time I was 12, the Reds had a caravan stop in West Virginia. It was mostly Charleston at the Civic Center, but it was also held at the Town Center Mall or Murad's a couple of times. As the present "brain trust" (and I use that term loosely) took over, they moved it to Huntington, WV and now they've moved it out of WV completely to Ashland, KY.

Now, I want to say that I love Huntington--it's one of my favorite towns in WV (maybe my favorite), but in Charleston you had the state press there and they covered it very well. The last few years, the state papers haven't even given it a nod when they "rolled" through Huntington and now Ashland.

It's a total misunderstanding of the large area that the Reds must court in order to gain a fan base. A thought totally lost on the idiots in the PR department of the Reds.

I loathe Butcher and his comrades. I'll never forget him telling me a station that hadn't carried the Reds in three years was a local station for me.

I hope he gets the ax and very soon when the new owners take over, but it seems they never will until another season is ruined by incompetence, not only on the field, but off as well.

From the time I was 12, the Reds had a caravan stop in West Virginia. It was mostly Charleston at the Civic Center, but it was also held at the Town Center Mall or Murad's a couple of times. As the present "brain trust" (and I use that term loosely) took over, they moved it to Huntington, WV and now they've moved it out of WV completely to Ashland, KY.

Now, I want to say that I love Huntington--it's one of my favorite towns in WV (maybe my favorite), but in Charleston you had the state press there and they covered it very well. The last few years, the state papers haven't even given it a nod when they "rolled" through Huntington and now Ashland.

It's a total misunderstanding of the large area that the Reds must court in order to gain a fan base. A thought totally lost on the idiots in the PR department of the Reds.

I loathe Butcher and his comrades. I'll never forget him telling me a station that hadn't carried the Reds in three years was a local station for me.

I hope he gets the ax and very soon when the new owners take over, but it seems they never will until another season is ruined by incompetence, not only on the field, but off as well.True, but for 5 years they ignored Indy and that surrounding area (which I would venture has more fans). Give them some credit for getting back to Indy. Has anyone ever wrote to the FO to ask them why they are missing WV?

Chip R

01-13-2006, 10:35 AM

True, but for 5 years they ignored Indy and that surrounding area (which I would venture has more fans). Give them some credit for getting back to Indy. Has anyone ever wrote to the FO to ask them why they are missing WV?

That kind of surprised me as well that they are going back to Indy. Perhaps they have ceded WV to PIT.

WVRedsFan

01-13-2006, 11:07 AM

True, but for 5 years they ignored Indy and that surrounding area (which I would venture has more fans). Give them some credit for getting back to Indy. Has anyone ever wrote to the FO to ask them why they are missing WV?

That kind of surprised me as well that they are going back to Indy. Perhaps they have ceded WV to PIT.

Kitty, I gave up trying to talk to them several years ago when the whole radio station flap came up, but I did write them about the caravan not being in Charleston last year. I can't find it, but it read like one of Dan O'Brien's wordy say-nothings. Basically, the Reds base is in Southern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Eastern Indiana, so with limited funds they have to go where their base is. OK, they why couldn't they travel 10 miles over the border into WV from Ashland for PR?

Chip, they can concede the area to the Pirates, but even though MLB has allowed Pittsburgh to claim it, no ones cares what the Buccos do. In fact, I'm probably the only person in my county with connections to Pittsburgh (Wife's from there), and most folks are Reds, Braves, or Yankee fans these days--with the emphasis on Braves. She was constant coverage will do for you when you have none in an area. BTW, the Braves win, too. That always helps. We haven't done that for 6 years. That always hurts.

realreds1

01-13-2006, 11:57 AM

True. The Huntington area, especially, roots for the Reds. There aren't too many Pirates fans here. You'll find many more of those in the northern part of WV.

RedsBaron

01-13-2006, 01:23 PM

True. The Huntington area, especially, roots for the Reds. There aren't too many Pirates fans here. You'll find many more of those in the northern part of WV.
Huntington is primarily Reds country. I believe that once you go north of Charleston the Pirates become the "local" team.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s the Reds winter caravan always stopped in Huntington, and in those days the stars of the team often were in attendance. Pete Rose made several appearances. Today you cannot get the stars to come to what they probably consider to be backwater areas to promote the team and the sport.

KittyDuran

01-13-2006, 01:46 PM

Huntington is primarily Reds country. I believe that once you go north of Charleston the Pirates become the "local" team.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s the Reds winter caravan always stopped in Huntington, and in those days the stars of the team often were in attendance. Pete Rose made several appearances. Today you cannot get the stars to come to what they probably consider to be backwater areas to promote the team and the sport.Most of the "stars" don't live in the greater Cincinnati area anymore, that's why....

Chip R

01-13-2006, 01:48 PM

Chip, they can concede the area to the Pirates, but even though MLB has allowed Pittsburgh to claim it, no ones cares what the Buccos do. In fact, I'm probably the only person in my county with connections to Pittsburgh (Wife's from there), and most folks are Reds, Braves, or Yankee fans these days--with the emphasis on Braves. She was constant coverage will do for you when you have none in an area. BTW, the Braves win, too. That always helps. We haven't done that for 6 years. That always hurts.

Well, I'm not saying they should rather that they might have.

Unassisted

01-13-2006, 02:05 PM

It's interesting to note that on the '04 TV blackout map (http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/astrodirt/discussion/419/), the Reds claim the western half of WV as their territory. And yet they choose not to drag the caravan in that direction.

Maybe the addition of the Nationals to that region is leading the Reds to cede that territory?

KittyDuran

01-13-2006, 02:30 PM

Besides WVRedsFan, there probably needs to be a grassroots push to get the caravan back to WV. What places/establishments did the team use for the festivities before in Charleston and Huntington? Would they be willing to entertain the team again?

BTW, I think the reason, besides the Reds trying to cover their territory, that the caravan stopped off at Huntington and now the Ashland area is the Don Gullett "connection". Gullett is from Greenup County, KY which is not far from Ashland. The stopover in Charleston was made easier when the team had a minor league affiliate there.

RedsBaron

01-13-2006, 02:35 PM

Gullett certainly had a following in this area, but he was still in high school back in the winter of 1966-67 when the Reds winter caravan stopped in Huntington. I can still remember the Huntington Herald-Dispatch's articles on the visit, which included manager Dave Bristol and Pete Rose in attendance. Bristol pledged that the Reds, coming off a 7th place finish in 1966, would be contenders in 1967, and for the first part of 1967 he was right. The Reds lead the NL early on in 1967, before injuries crippled the team and a superior Cardinals team surpassed them.

Jpup

01-13-2006, 04:09 PM

It's interesting to note that on the '04 TV blackout map (http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/astrodirt/discussion/419/), the Reds claim the western half of WV as their territory. And yet they choose not to drag the caravan in that direction.

Maybe the addition of the Nationals to that region is leading the Reds to cede that territory?

They claim all of KY, but they don't go south of Lexington or Louisville. Makes a lot of sense. The problem is MLB and it's crazy blackout rules.:thumbdown

Let's hope that a lot of these guys don't have jobs when this is scheduled.

Unassisted

01-13-2006, 06:28 PM

They claim all of KY, but they don't go south of Lexington or Louisville. Makes a lot of sense. The problem is MLB and it's crazy blackout rules.:thumbdown I think that boundary has deeper historical roots than the satellite blackout. In the late 80s, I lived in Knoxville, the next media market south of Lexington. It was unusual to see Reds fans there, and I never knew anyone else there who was native to the area and a fan.

WVRedsFan

01-15-2006, 01:46 AM

Besides WVRedsFan, there probably needs to be a grassroots push to get the caravan back to WV. What places/establishments did the team use for the festivities before in Charleston and Huntington? Would they be willing to entertain the team again?

BTW, I think the reason, besides the Reds trying to cover their territory, that the caravan stopped off at Huntington and now the Ashland area is the Don Gullett "connection". Gullett is from Greenup County, KY which is not far from Ashland. The stopover in Charleston was made easier when the team had a minor league affiliate there.

They've been all over the map on that. Back in the olden days (60's and 70's) they met at local restaurants. I remember the Sterling in Charleston. Later on they were at the Town Center Mall, Murad's Restaurant, Charleston Civic Center, etc.

Who knows, Kitty. The Reds are such a non-item in most places these days that they may not want them. Especially if all you can get on the caravan is Jerry Narron, Marty, and Mercker.

Maybe I should just give up and live with it. The PR people are clueless. We are in this position of not having an extended fan base because of it. I can only hope new ownership has the good sense to make some changes.

Jpup

01-15-2006, 08:05 AM

They've been all over the map on that. Back in the olden days (60's and 70's) they met at local restaurants. I remember the Sterling in Charleston. Later on they were at the Town Center Mall, Murad's Restaurant, Charleston Civic Center, etc.

Who knows, Kitty. The Reds are such a non-item in most places these days that they may not want them. Especially if all you can get on the caravan is Jerry Narron, Marty, and Mercker.

Maybe I should just give up and live with it. The PR people are clueless. We are in this position of not having an extended fan base because of it. I can only hope new ownership has the good sense to make some changes.

Who can I email in the FO that could help me get the Reds on my local cable? I must have FSN Cincy before Opening Day! :bang:

WVRedsFan

01-15-2006, 01:11 PM

Who can I email in the FO that could help me get the Reds on my local cable? I must have FSN Cincy before Opening Day! :bang:

Your local cable company. And they may not be able to get FSN Cincy.

Jpup

01-15-2006, 04:18 PM

Your local cable company. And they may not be able to get FSN Cincy.

They can, but they refuse. They had it right before I moved to town. My parents had it at that time. I was just wondering if there was someone in the front office that was responsible for getting the Reds on more outlets.

Caseyfan21

01-23-2006, 06:43 PM

Thought I should pop this back up with the caravan just a few days away.

The firing today brings up a few questions:

Will Kullman be on hand instead of DanO?

Who exactly will be the representatives for the new ownership?

I think with what I've seen from Bob Cass so far, I honestly would not be overly surprised if he or the Williams brothers were out there themselves. Odds of it happening are slim but it would be pretty neat to meet them and thank them. I have a feeling it will just be PR type people but I can hope.

Thoughts?

Unassisted

01-24-2006, 06:16 PM

Thought I should pop this back up with the caravan just a few days away.

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds will kick off their Winter Caravan with a stop at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday at Pinheads in northeast Indianapolis. The caravan is returning to Indianapolis for the first time since 2001. All seven Winter Caravan stops are free and open to the public. At each site, the Reds will raffle off 2 tickets to the 2006 Opening Day game against the Chicago Cubs.

On Friday, the caravan will visit the Lima Mall in Lima and Flannagan's Dublin on the outskirts of Columbus, followed on Saturday by stops at Fricker's in the Dayton suburb of West Carrollton and the Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville. The road trip will conclude Sunday with visits to the Ashland Town Center in Ashland, KY and Champion Sports Lexington in Nicholasville.

The very popular Winter Caravan provides fans with the opportunity to interact with Reds manager Jerry Narron, players, broadcasters and other members of the front office staff. At each stop, the group will field questions from fans, sign autographs and pose for photographs. Sales representatives will be on hand to discuss season tickets and group sales, and the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum also will display a traveling exhibit.

Scheduled to appear at all seven Winter Caravan stops are Narron, Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman and Reds Radio partner Steve Stewart, new Reds Hall of Famer Lee May and senior director of business operations Phil Castellini. Senior special assistant Gene Bennett will join the group in Ashland.

Newly-acquired pitcher Dave Williams will be accompanied on the Thursday and Friday stops by the organization's Minor League Player of the Year, which will be announced at the LaSalle High School Stag tomorrow night. Pitcher Kent Mercker once again will attend the popular stop at Flannagan's Dublin.

Todd Coffey will join the caravan in Dayton, while Tom Browning, another new Reds Hall of Famer, will entertain in Louisville, Ashland and Lexington. Outfielder Austin Kearns will visit the Lexington event.

Red Hot Mama

01-24-2006, 11:06 PM

I'm planning to attend the first stop in Indy on Thursday. If you're in the area and want to meet the wisenheimer woman writing all the fake news, do drop by. I'll have a free copy of Funnyball (http://www.lulu.com/content/190055) for the first person who can pick me out of the crowd.

I've got post (http://www.red-hot-mama.com/comments.php?id=310_0_1_0_C) about it over at RHM.